Trace-fastener.



T. A. BAKKEN.

TRACE FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED 11111. 24, 1911.

1,009,461. Patented Nov, 21, 1911.

6 7 3nventors 2 attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THORE A. BAKKEN, OF SOLDIERS GROVE, WISCONSIN.

TRACE-FASTENER.

Application filed January 24, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THORE A. BAKKEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Soldiers Grove, in the county of Crawford and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trace-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in Whifiietree tips or tracefasteners, and particularly to improved means for holding a trace inposition with the use of a minimum number of parts.

The object in view is the construction and arrangement of a tracefastener designed to thoroughly accomplish the purpose for which it isconstructed, but formed of a com-. paratively 'few parts, andpractically no parts which will easily get out of order.

A still further object of the invention is the arrangement in a tracefastener, of a head structure arranged with a recess having a ridge orstop projecting across one end and a projecting journal member, the samebeing associated with a catch pivotally mounted in the recess, whichcatch is held loosely in position by suitable nibs or cars turned overfrom the head portion against the catch.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certainnovel constructions, combinations, and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of anembodiment of the invention shown applied. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan viewof an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of thehead before the catch and spring have been placed therein. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal vertical section through Fig. 2, approximately on line M.Fig. 5 is a section through Fig. 4 on line 55. Fig. 6 is a plan view ofthe upper face of the catch.

In constructing a trace fastener or whiflietree tip embodying theinvention the same is formed with a head, a movable catch, and a springfor normally holding the catch in an outer position. The head ispreferably formed of cast material and made in one operation, afterwhich the catch is posi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

Serial No. 604,488.

tioned loosely in the head, and ears or nibs are turned over the catchfor loosely holding the catch properly in a recess formed in the head, aspring being inserted in the recess of the head and projecting into therecess in the catch at the time that the catch is fitted into the head,so that one end of the catch is normally held in an outer position forresistingremoval of a trace.

wardlyr The head 2 is formed with a rib or projection 5 which extendstransversely across the recess 4 and projects into the recess for actingas a journal member for catch 6. Catch 6 is formed with a notched outportion 7 for loosely fitting over rib 5, and is also beveled at 8 so asto permit a proper pivotal movement of the opposite end of the catch foracting as a stop in order to prevent the accidental removal of a tracefrom head 2. The head 2, in addition to having a rib formed thereon, isprovided with a stop or ridge 9 near the outer end of the head, which isdesigned to assist rib 5 in preventing catch 6 from being forcedlongitudinally off of the head. Under ordinary circumstances the end ofcatch 6 will not quite touch ridge 9, but if excess strain is brought tobear thereon in a longitudinal direction the catch may slip slightlyover ridge 5, or even bend ridge 5, so that the pressure will betransferred entirely or partly to member 9. i

The catch 6 is formed with an opening 10 into which projects spring 11that normally holds the end of the catch in an outer position. Spring 11is arranged to fit over projection 12 so as to be properly held inposition, the recess 10 accommodating the spring when the catch 6 isforced entirely in the recess 4. Whenever a trace is forced over theouter end of the head 2 to the reduced portion 13 catch 6 will bedepressed until the outer surface thereof is substantially flush withthe outer lower surface of the head. In order to properly hold catch 6in place nibs or ears 14 and 15 are cast or formed on the head 2, andare bent over against or almost against the catch 6. It will be notedthat the ears 14 and 15 are positioned almost in the same transverseplane as the ridge or pivotal member 5, so that the catch cannot beremoved. By this structure it will be observed that the catch is heldpivotally in position without the use like, but presents the sameadvantages and additional advantages over such structures. The head 2 isarranged to be cast in one piece in a completed condition without anymachine Work, and catch 2 is to be formed in a similar manner, wherebythe same may be manufactured at a minimum cost. The spring 11, ofcourse, must be made in the usual manner, and when inserted, togetherwith the catch 6, ears 14 and 15 may be bent over by a hammer or otherimplement, and the device is complete. It will be evident that the headmay be ground or finished in order to take a high polish if desired, andmay be ornamented with any desired configuration without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. It will also be evident that the castingsmay be made from brass, malleable iron, or other metal, provided thesame will permit of bending ears 14 and 15 as set forth. The tracefastener is adapted to accommodate any of the ordinary traces, includingthe leather, chain and ordinary farm harness cockeye trace. In case thechain trace should be too large the same may be easily made to fit bypressing the sides of the link in any desired manner. of ordinary ournalmembers, rivets, and the What I claim is:

In a trace fastener, a head formed with a recess portion, a ribextending into said recess portion, a stop arranged at one end of saidrecess portion, and a pair of ears projecting transversely across saidrecess portion near said rib, a catch formed with a notch fitting oversaid rib so that one end of the catch will be in proximity to said stopand beneath said ears, and a spring for resiliently holding one end ofsaid catch out of said recess portion.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THORE A. BAKKEN. Witnesses:

ROBERT T. LANG, A. L. KITOI-IIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

